R e d - T h r e a d
by VoltaireZamora
Summary: Ever since the day a pink haired girl gave him a red ribbon, He knew that he had found his soulmate. She disagreed. He smiled, promising to make her his wife. That was the day Sakura Haruno punched the son of the kazekage.


I do not own Naruto and here's another story for you guys :) - VZ

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Gaara was sitting on a bench that hot summer day. His siblings were somewhere watching over him, but always at a distance. Never coming close enough, not unless his father ordered them to. Speaking of his father, he was off somewhere doing business with the Hokage of Konoha.

The very reason he was out here, lonely and sitting on a red bench. He clutched his teddy tighter to his chest, hating how alone he always was. Loathing how everyone around him feared his very presence. Despising how often his father spoiled and hated his very existence.

As he wallowed and sulked, he failed to notice a child around his age walk up to him.

After a while, he noticed the color pink in his peripheral vision. Thinking it was a flower he just ignored it. That is, until he heard a voice.

"Are you gonna keep frowning like that? It's not nice to frown. You should smile!"

Gaara turned his full attention to the smiling girl next to him. A girl with a head of pink hair, with a vivid red ribbon used as a headband.

Definitely not a flower, he thought.

"Smile?" He asked, his voice small and sheepish, unsure about the bright eyed and pretty girl with the slightly large forehead.

"Yeah! See?" The pinkette spread her lips into a wider grin, displaying all her pearly whites to the world.

The red head was shocked to say the least. Nobody, not even his own blood dared to share a smile with him, mostly because they all had nothing to smile about. Well, why would they? Why would they be happy when they had a monster for a son and a brother.

To say he was glad was a severe understatement. Being hated and feared so openly had left him hurt and scarred. Pushing him to find his own playmates with the use of his sand. Forcing them to be with him.

But somehow, Kami had sent him a pink haired angel to play with him. He suddenly felt very blessed.

"Your turn." She insisted, leaning in closer and giving him her full and undivided attention.

It was a bit embarrassing for him at first; however, he was willing to make an effort.

And so, he tried smiling for her.

Unfortunately, it looked rather strained and forced.

"No, no! Not like that, why do you smile like that? Like this." She pointed to her face with both fingers, one pointer finger on each dimpled cheek and smiled enthusiastically. Looking like the perfect picture of joy, innocence and happiness.

Too bad he was the complete opposite.

"I….have nothing to be happy about, so I can't smile as you do."

He stated rather sullenly, with a somber expression on his face.

Gaara shied away from the girl, already afraid of her rejection and fear like the rest.

He was tired and weary of being treated like a freak. An unwanted, unlovable monster that was deemed less worthy than the dirt on the ground.

The blood red symbol for love tattooed on his forehead was a testament of how much he craved acceptance and affection, but obviously found none. When he had thought that he had found a friend, he had almost been murdered. If not for his precious sand, he would have been killed for being the monster he was, which was exactly what everyone, maybe even this little girl (when she realized who or rather, what he was) thought.

"Then I'll give you a reason to smile!"

The girl was now standing before him, pointing a finger in his direction with yet another winning grin.

The sight was very nice to see. Although the young boy knew this kind of kindness for him could not last. So he then proceeded to sulk, afraid to raise his jade eyes and lock onto hers. He feared that she would just run like every other person he's interacted with since before he could remember.

While he was thinking about the possible things that could make her leave and how to prevent them, he hardly noticed when the pinkette left.

However, when he did realize her presence was gone, the sand around him shifted restlessly. It showed how agitated he was and how hurt. Yet another person had run away due to his monstrous existence.

_Why me?...What am I ?..._He inwardly wondered.

**Monster**!...**Demon**!...Harsh words rung in his ear, the voices of the people of Suna were screaming obscenities at him and some even threw trash.

Yes, he was nothing more than a disgusting, vile beast.

"I'm baaaaaaaaack!" The sweet voice practically sung to him in excitement.

Jade eyes looked up from his teddy to meet with a vivid leaf green.

"Here, I brought this for you." She said with a cute little nod, affirming what she had just said. Gaara couldn't help the spread of warmth throughout his entire body. She was back of her own free will and with a gift for him.

But then the initial fear of a kunai or exploding tag attached to the present appeared in his chest, chasing away the good and happy feelings that had spread throughout his form.

The sand instantly gathered around him, sensing his fear and anxiety.

And so, the grains of sand enveloped him in a protective shell, shielding him from the pinkette who watched with curious and wide green eyes.

"Uh? What are you doing?" She asked, confused at the ball of sand before her.

"Protecting myself." He answered, finding it odd how his attacker would question his form of defense.

"Oh…cool….wait, from what?"

"Your gift." He said, hugging his teddy tighter to his chest, wanting to protect him as well.

"Huh? Why?! It's not something bad." She sounded like she was getting upset, so Gaara commanded the coarse grains to shift and provide a small hole through his defense. This way he could see her and she could not see him. He found this plan to be very smart. And so he looked at the pink haired girl and was shocked to see her pouting rather cutely.

"It's not?"

"Nu-uh."

The sand calmed down a bit and slowly fell back to the ground, no longer shielding his body from any threat.

"Nope! Hm….what did you think it was?" The pink haired girl wondered aloud, twirling a long strand of pink hair with her fingertips.

"A kunai, maybe several….or a bomb." He answered, shifting closer to her.

"What? How silly, I'm not going to give you that. Unless you want to become a ninja. Ninja need lots of weapons and stuffs! Like me!" She jerked a thumb to herself with a grin.

Gaara was quite shocked to say the least, not expecting this cute little girl to aspire to become a killing weapon. Although, appearances were deceiving.

"Oh…" was the only thing he said before something was tied around his wrist. He looked down and saw a brilliant red ribbon. Wrapped securely around his hand much like a bracelet.

Wait…this looked familiar….

"It's a friendship bracelet! See? I have one too, we match." She raised her hand and just like she said, there was a similar ribbon around her wrist.

"It's from my headband, I asked my momma to cut it in the middle so that I'd have two pieces. One for me, and one for you. My momma says that giving someone a gift makes them smile. And I want you to smile. So….Now….now you don't have to frown anymore." She said firmly, staring him straight in the eye, waiting for the slightest tilt or twitch of his lips.

At first Gaara didn't like it, being looked into and focused on. But then his fear ebbed away and turned into happiness. This girl actually got something for him. What made her gift even more special was the fact that she was sharing something that belonged to her.

Gaara stared at her in wonderment and happiness, his lips tilting and turning into the smallest of smiles.

Nevertheless, it was enough for her.

The pinkette jumped and giggled, a happy and melodious sound that he found adorable.

He watched as her green eyes shined with a happiness that made his heart ache wonderfully, terribly.

Would she still smile and laugh like that if she knew that he'd killed a person? That he was nothing more than a demon? That he couldn't even sleep?

The red head continued to stare at the beautiful girl.

He felt like she could peer into his very soul when she looked him in his jade eyes. Where he was vulnerable and free from his protective layer of sand. Where his inner beast lay hidden under his skin. And what made him feel happier, the thought, the hope; that she would accept what she saw. Maybe even come to like it, love it.

His thoughts halted immediately. Love? Didn't someone say to him before that love was strong. That it was important as well? Could this girl come to feel for him that way? Would this empty hole in his chest finally be filled with her affections and….love? This tiny spark of hope grew into a small flame that beat in his chest. Making his heart flutter each time he would look at her.

So that entire summer, he had a reason to smile. But when he had to return to Suna with his family, his heart literally broke into two halves.

And a little girl with pink hair now owned one of them.

Her name was Sakura Haruno and they made a promise to meet each other again. Someday.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to see her again.

Each day without her hurt almost physically, he didn't even bother to make new friends. Not when he had the best one in the hidden village in fire.

The years went by filled with rigorous training for the upcoming chuunin exams. He was not happy about participating, however when he heard it would be held in konoha, where his blossom lived and grew, he was suddenly filled with hope. The fire that had died out years ago had now flared to life with vigor and strength.

And so he trained and trained and trained.

And finally, when Gaara spotted the gates of konoha in the distance, he smiled.

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Hope you liked it, especially for those GaaSaku lovers out there ;) let me know if I should continue ;) - VZ


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